I Sell the Lifestyle I Live
Here is my story.
Lake Tahoe has been a part of my life since I was a small child. In the late 1940s my parents regularly took my brother and I, in both the summers and winter, to what was then Bijou (today the heart of South Lake Tahoe). I started skiing at Heavenly Valley when I was eight years old. I first skied Squaw Valley in 1958 and fell in love with it. Throughout my childhood, teens and collage years I visited Tahoe regularly. I skied all over the basin, but mostly at Squaw and Heavenly. I had always wanted to spend a winter working for a ski area, but there seemed to always be a good reason to put it off. Finally, in 1980, my wife Mary Margaret (MM) and I were hired by Alpine Meadows and moved to Tahoe City for what we thought would be one season. That season has never ended.
I was like a kid in a candy store. I skied 110 days that season. In the spring of 1981, when our seasonal jobs at Alpine ended, we didn’t want to leave. After exploring several different job possibilities we both obtained our Real Estate licenses that summer and began our real estate careers in the greater North Lake Tahoe region. By the fall of 1982 we were based in Squaw Valley. From the beginning of that season until now we have been continuous Squaw Valley season pass holders and members of the Members Locker Room since 1991.
During the last three plus decades we became expert skiers, avid mountain bikers, raised two beautiful girls who were both on the Squaw Valley Ski Team and we remained in Real Estate. Both of our daughters have become expert skiers. Our oldest, Johanna, became an extraordinary snowboarder and our youngest, Amanda, was on the Squaw Valley Free Style Team. In the 80s and early 90s I had the pleasure of regularly skiing with some of Squaw Valley’s legendary skiers of that era; Robbie Huntoon, Steve McKinney, Dan Mooney, to name a few. We skied places that now are where competitions are held. I still ski some of those places.
Moving to Tahoe City, where I still live, was the smartest decision we ever made. It has been a wonderful place to raise our two girls, who are now college graduates and who both live close by. It provided us with an incomparable lifestyle in an incredibly beautiful environment. My occupation has given me the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and over the years to assist hundreds of them with selling their property or finding their ideal Lake Tahoe, Squaw Valley or Truckee permanent residence or vacation home, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I have also worked with developers in creating and managing marketing programs and sales teams. I have been very blessed.
I am currently in my third term as a Director of the Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service. For twenty one years I had an office in Squaw Valley. On May 31, 2016 I closed my Squaw Valley office and joined Chase International Real Estate in Tahoe City. I did this because the Real Estate industry has changed. The internet, mobile devices and incredibly large brokerages have made it much harder to be an independent Realtor. In order to stay competitive I had to be associated with a well known brand and have the ability to expand my reach beyond the confines of Northern California. For over 30 years, Chase International has built an unparalleled reputation as the “Leader in Luxury Real Estate” successfully serving all of Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada. We are not a large franchise but an independent top producing brokerage that is connected with other top producing independent brokerages in 16 areas of California and many international locations. Chase International gives me worldwide reach.
In my years living in the North Tahoe area my Real Estate focus has mostly been in Squaw Valley, North Tahoe and Truckee, but I have also assisted clients in the South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village markets. Since 1981 with my many years of experience I have become very knowledgeable of the many unique characteristics and primary differences in lifestyle and vacation experiences offered by all of our diverse mountain communities. This gives me the ability to successfully market our North Tahoe and Squaw/Alpine and Truckee properties and direct clients to the properties (both area and the type of ownership) that will most ideally suit their needs. To see what I offer to clients explore my website and read my testimonials. To be kept up to date on our local activities and our Real Estate Market sign up for my newsletters on the website, or by emailing me at grankin@chaseinternational.com. If you allow me work for you, I guarantee you will be pleased and learn firsthand why I have such a long list of very satisfied clients and I will welcome the opportunity to be of service to you.
My motto is “Superior Service and Integrity”
